ADDPOOL CDS 11/7
DATE: 11/8/05ARTIST:Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
TITLE: Howl (RCA)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: This British band sounds more American all the time. Obviously enamored with Byrds/Dylan/Band, etc., they soak their influences up well and write songs that are somewhat original and fresh sounding. Not quite as good as their influences, but not bad for 2005.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,6,8,10,12
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham
TITLE: Moments From This Theater (Proper)
GENRE: ROCK/MAINSTREAM
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Dan Penn has written some timeless songs, including “Dark End of the Street”, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”, “I'm Your Puppet”, “Cry Like A Baby” and manyothers in the southern soul vein. Joined here by keyboardist Spooner Oldham onstage in England and Ireland, he shows he still oozes with the essence that makes his songs so great. A real gem!
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,5,8
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Jerry Douglas
TITLE: The Best Kept Secret (Koch)
GENRE: BLUEGRASS/PROGRESSIVE
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Jerry Douglas has played on something like 1500 albums as a session dobro player. Then he chucked it all to join Alison Krause and Union Station. On this release he calls some of his favorites back into the studio with him to return the favor. The guy is brilliant and his guests know how to have fun.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1 (Derek Trucks),2(Sam Bush & Bela Flek),3(Alison Krauss),6(Bill Frisell),7(John Fogerty),10
REVIEWER: Jim Manion WFHB
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Supergrass
TITLE: Road to Rouen (Capitol)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Supergrass have a hard time coming down from their musical highs. Every time they release a giddy, irresistible pop album, they repent on the next record, crafting a moodier response. For 2005's Road to Rouen, they once again retreat from the bright colors and sunny melodies and turn toward darker textures. But there's a big difference here: Road to Rouen is a tight, sharply focused album with purpose and momentum. It may have two long epics in the opening "Tales of Endurance, Pts. 4, 5 & 6" and "Roxy," clocking in at 5:31 and 6:17, respectively, but the record lasts just over 35 minutes, and there's a mastery of tone, as the group creates a warm, trippy, late-night vibe and then never lets it flag over the course of nine songs. If Road to Rouen is anything, it is not monotonous -- it may be an ideal soundtrack for night, but this is hardly a one-note, self-absorbed introspective record. "Tales of Endurance" has an infectious minor-key vamp, the title track is a propulsive glammy rocker, and "Kick in the Teeth" has a jangling guitar that off-sets the jazzy, lazy "St. Petersburg," the folky "Low C," and dreamy "Fin." All the songs take varying routes to the same destination, and part of the appeal of this album is that each track sounds different, yet sounds the same. Supergrass have found new things to do with their sound without getting self-consciously mature or middlebrow. Road to Rouen may not be a party record, but the best of bands can do any number of sounds while still sounding like themselves, and with this excellent album, Supergrass do prove that they can do exactly that.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9
REVIEWER: excerpts from a review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine allmusicguide.com
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Marty Stuart
TITLE: Badlands (Superlatone)
GENRE: COUNTRY
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Marty Stuart tried way too hard mid-to-late 90s to be relevant and some of his efforts fell flat. He took some time to regroup and reinvent himself and now his creative torch is burning bright again, putting albums out as fast as Ryan Adams. His “Souls Chapel” earlier this year focused on gospel/country/soul. Now “Badlands” zeroes in on another of his passions – the history and plight of South Dakota's Lakota Souix Indians. Marty and his collaborators immersed themselves for years in the culture and have been embraced by the tribe so this is far from an outside-looking-in project. Very moving. And, his Fabulous Superlatives band provides great foundation and backing, just like on “Soul's Chapel".
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,3,5,6,8,9,11,13
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Merle Haggard
TITLE: Chicago Wind (Capitol)
GENRE: COUNTRY
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Coaxing his old producer Jimmy Bowen out of retirement and back on his longtime label capitol, The Hag naturally comes up with a record that stands up with his best. His music has always been a ways beyond the country template, mixing jazzy guitar sensibilites and unusual rhythms and chords, but somehow managing to sound down-home. Also, he's never been one to mince words about current affairs and he cuts to the chase on songs Like “Where's All the Freedom?” and “America First”, which are definitely not “Okie from Muskogee” retreads as he sings “let's get out of Iraq and get back on track...”
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,4,7,8,9
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Stevie Wonder
TITLE: A Time To Love (Motown)
GENRE: SOUL/FUNK
GRADE: A
REVIEW: After a Kate Bush-challenging ten year break, Stevie Wonder finally returns. Considering his acknowledged genius and his early 70s track record of FIVE perfect albums in a row, after a decade off you'd expect something half decent, wouldn't you? And that's pretty much what you get. ATTL suffers mainly from its sequencing. Too many of the slower (and more schmaltzy) tracks are squeezed into the second half, making it lose pace. Yet Stevie's gift for melody remains utterly assured and there's little waste here. The obligatory celebrity pals show up (Prince, Kim Burrell, India Arie etc.), but never detract from the whole. He even has the sense to get Paul McCartney to play guitar, rather than sing on the title track. So we're spared another ''Ebony and Ivory''. The most remarkable guest, however, is daughter Aisha Morris on ''How Will I Know''. Yes, the same one who waile on ''Isn't She Lovely'' nearly thirty years ago.While Wonder's heartfelt songs of love and understanding may appear embarrassingly straightforward in this ironic age, there's no denying the emotional sincerity behind them. A Time To Love may not restore his commercial standing, but it will certainly come as a relief to his fans.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,6,9,12,15
REVIEWER: Chris Jones bbc.co.uk
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Bettye LaVette
TITLE: I've Got My Own Hell To Raise (Anti)
GENRE: SOUL/FUNK
GRADE: A+
REVIEW: Detroit homegirl Bettye LaVette scored a ’62 R&B hit (“My Man — He’s a Lovin’ Man”) with her first record at age 16. Despite sporadic R&B success and performing “Bubbling Brown Sugar” on Broadway, she never charted pop. Spotted on the blues-soul festival circuit, Anti- Records paired her with fellow Michigander Joe Henry, who produced Solomon Burke’s 2002 comeback effort. Henry’s minimalistic approach works similar magic here, as LaVette wraps her steel-belted vocal cords around material written exclusively by female songwriters, ranging from country (Dolly Parton’s stark “Little Sparrow,” Lucinda Williams’s bluesy “Joy”) to folk (Joan Armatrading’s brooding “Down to Zero”) to modern-rock (Aimee Mann’s sassy, “How Am I Different”). LaVette hand-picked all the songs; the album’s title comes from a line in her jazzy rendition of Fiona Apple’s “Sleep To Dream.” And while she turns Cathy Maciejewski’s “Just Say So” (a country hit for Bobbie Cryner) and frequent Leonard Cohen collaborator Sharon Robinson’s “The High Road” into slow-burning soul ballads, the album’s highlight just might be the opening track — an a cappella take on Sinead O’ Connor’s “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” where LaVette sounds like she’s shredding yards of silk with every syllable.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,3,5,7,10
REVIEWER: Don Waller www.metrotimes.com
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Joy Lynn White
TITLE: One More Time (Thortch)
GENRE: COUNTRY
GRADE: A-
REVIEW: Though she has remained active with frequent guest shots, including appearances on Walter Egan's Brooklyn Cowboy efforts, this is Joy Lynn White's first release since 1997's "The Lucky Few." White co-wrote 9 of thet 11 cuts, most with a decidedly dark feel. "Keep This Love" explores a fading relationship in which the singer acknowledges that salvage attempts are futile, while "I'm Free" is the tale of a woman coming to terms with the aftermath of a bad relationship. "Love Sometimes" and "Victim Of Love" reveal a similar negative perspective. The cover of Naomi Neville's "A Certain Boy" is perhaps the cheeriest sounding tune, though the singer's feelings of love remain unexpressed. While "Girls With Apartments In Nashville" avoids the complexities of love, it is a harsh examination of the isolation and hardships of pursuing Nashville dreams. With White's powerful voice and thoughtful compositions, this is an impressive return.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,4,6,8,11
REVIEWER: www.countrystandardtime.com
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Tom Vek
TITLE: We Have Sound (Star Time Intl)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A
REVIEW: With We Have Sound, Tom Vek lives up to his hype and proves he is more than the sum of his numerous influences. In many ways the album's mix of funky guitars, electronic flourishes and belligerent beats seem to sit alongside other new wave revival artists such as Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand. But additional elements of lo-fi rock and even jazz make it hard to define, though very easy to dance to. Stand out tracks "C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)" and "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes", the first two songs on the album, are a case in point. Opener "C-C..." kicks off with a Red Snapper-like bass and beat, before sinking into a wall of sweet synth which builds to a dischordant crescendo reminiscent of free-form rockers Pavement. "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes" picks up the pace and embraces the spirit of John Lydon's PIL with infectious glee. Vocally, the 23-year-old Londoner has been compared to John Lydon and Mark E Smith, but there's something of David Byrne's jerky showmanship in the meandering yelps on "A Little Word In Your Ear" and the narrative delivery of "Nothing But Green Lights". The chiming guitar in this latter track has similarities to Washing Machine era Sonic Youth, evoking a real sense of drama. This sensation is carried into "On The Road". There's nothing showy or pretentious about this record, it sounds fresh and inspired, and even better live. Listen to it now.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,2,4,8,9
REVIEWER: Lisa Haines guardian.co.uk
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Speech
TITLE: The Vagabond (Bluhammock)
GENRE: HIPHOP/SOUL/FUNK
GRADE: A
REVIEW: While some may still think Arrested Development was a 1-hit-wonder with 1992's “Tennessee”, they continue to be quite popular overseas. Guess they got slamdunked by the rougher forms of hiphop that followed. Sppech continues in the AD tradition with the earnest and thoughtful jams on Vagabond. Track 1 is with Neneh Cherry and was heard a few years back on the 1 Giant Leap project. If cartoonish thug-hop bums you out, Speech might lift you up.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST:Brazz Tree
TITLE: Quest (Brazz Tree Music)
GENRE: WORLD FUSION
GRADE: A
REVIEW: A duo out of NYC, Brazz Tree features the intricate/funky/rhytmic guitar of Brad Hammonds and the soaring vocals and global violin of Mazz Swift. The melange of music the create is hard to pin down, but contains elements of Celtic, Indian, Jazz and Funky Soul. Lyrics are on the “conscious” side, and they match well with the heady brew of sounds Brad and Mazz kick out.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 2,4,5,9
REVIEWER: Jim Manion/WFHB
DATE: 11/8/05
ARTIST: BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
TITLE: BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE (Arts & Crafts)
GENRE: ROCK/ALT
GRADE: A++
REVIEW: In Canada, Broken Social Scene is somewhat of a phenomenon. Since wooing fans and critics alike with their 2003 Juno Award-winning album You Forgot It in People, the band's peculiar popularity has made them stars. The community that surrounds the 15-member-plus band is a family-like atmosphere with its many Canadian artists and musicians. When listening to Broken Social Scene, you also get the individual sounds of Feist, Stars, Memphis, Metric, and Apostle of Hustle, among others. It's camaraderie and education combined. The 14-song set is as bright and moving as the band's previous efforts, but Broken Social Scene holds more charisma, more depth, and surely more complexities. Album opener "Our Faces Split the Coast in Half," which features the Dears' Murray Lightburn, makes a grand entrance with its polished horn arrangements, tight guitar riffs, and hypnotic harmonies. Additional standouts include indie rock moments such as "7/4 (Shoreline)" and the nervy "Fire Eye'd Boy." Handclaps and crowd chatter dosie-do with a sharp rock aesthetic on "Windsurfing Nation," which was the original title. Here, Toronto rapper K-Os and Feist vocally find their way through this majestic cinematic backdrop for one of its finest songs. Broken Social Scene are more than a collective; they're an orchestra for both the slacker generation and the literati.
RECOMMENDED TRACKS: 1,3,4,6,8,9,11
FCC:14
extra EP notes:
e.p. to be you and me
no FCC ON EXTRA LP!
titles are only on the cd
1. “her disappearing theme” (Mostly instrumental- Feist breathy vocals- good for morning mix)
2. “Canada vs. America” (Loud and Brassy)
3. “baroque social” (Instrumental-acid feedback sound. great rhythm reminiscent of 1997 album)
4. “no smiling darkness/snake charmers associations” (An endless tambourine
solo-instrumental)
5. “all my friends” (Acoustic feel-good song good for all mixes)
6. “major label debut”(fast) loud and rockin
7. “feel good lost reprise” (piano-instrumental. good for all mixes)
REVIEWER: excerpts from a review by MacKenzie Wilson allmusicguide.com
EP REVIEW BY CATHERINE RADAMACHER/WFHB
OTHER CDS ADDED THIS WEEK AT WFHB:
The Mendoza Line Full of Light and Full of Fire (Misra)
Vashti Bunyan Lookaftering (DiChristina)
Dolly Parton Those Were The Days (Sugar Hill
posted by WFHB Music @ 11:45:00 AM
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